Vibrant Gardens: Real and Pretend

 flowers by jessica jane

I have been in the yard, trying to salvage the lawn that was left unwatered for who knows how long. We have but a small pair of pruning shears and lots of hedges to trim.... I was left with a very sore hand!

But, we will see, on our very tight budget, what we can do to make this little lawn of ours pretty. Naturally, I tend to overthink and become obsessive, wanting to do everything at once, a compost pile,
a vegetable and herb garden, more flowers! But, only time and patience will tell if our 5 rose bushes will come to life again and how the bare patches of removed dead plants will be filled in.

If you are not a green thumb, but enjoy the vibrant colors of nature, I am sure you will
love these gorgeous garden projects!

This silk ribbon flower garden embroidery reminds me of my grandmother's shower curtain. 

Handmade and available for purchase by Fairstore.

So beautiful, each stitch and square was so lovingly executed. I love how cheerful it all is, I'm sure it is like a little visual journal as well. The 39 squares project by Amy of inspire co. had many different people participating and can be viewed here.

*This post is dedicated to Urangoo. I blogged about her last year as she was fundraising for treatment for Leukemia, the same disease that took my father from me. She passed away today after her Chemotherapy treatment in India had failed. She was a student at Utah University from Mongolia and traveled the world to find healthcare. I pray her spirit and those of her friends and family will have peace.

Give the Gift of Life

A beautiful and intelligent young woman, Urangoo, found out very recently she has Acute Leukemia. She is a recent college graduate and immigrated to America for education 8 years ago from Mongolia. Unfortunatly, like many Americans, she has no health insurance and without a bone marrow transplant in the next few weeks, she is likely to die within a few months. The hospital has donated her first chemo treatment and is trying to outreach to foreign hospitals who may be able to help her case, but there have been no takers yet. You can read the complete article here in the Utah Daily Herald Newspaper along with the donation link in her blog.

She has raised $10,000, but her treatment is between $100,000 to $350,000 so they have a very long ways to go. But small amounts add up quickly, especially in the blogging world!

My father had Leukemia, and died when I was 23. So, this is just heartbreaking to me.